Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C., March 21, 2006 - Cardinal Health, the leading provider of products and services supporting the health-care industry, announced today the launch of Protegrity Blue, a surgical glove designed to be worn as a single glove or for use as an underglove when double gloving. The new glove was unveiled here at the 53rd annual AORN Congress, which brings together thousands of perioperative registered nurses.

In 2005, AORN issued a guidance statement on preventing sharps injuries in perioperative settings. It specifically recommends double gloving during operative or invasive procedures. In an article in the September 2004 issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons, authors Ramon Berguer, MD, FACS and Paul Heller, MD, write that 'Double gloving reduces exposure to patient blood by as much as 87% when the outer glove is punctured.' They also say that the practice of wearing two pairs of gloves offers a high degree of protection from sharps injuries.

 

While many health professionals believe in double gloving when performing surgery, many do not routinely do so. Reasons cited for dissatisfaction with double gloving include tactile loss, discomfort, difficulty of donning two gloves and time to don them.

 

Specifically designed to address these concerns, Cardinal Health’s new gloves are one of the thinnest latex gloves on the market and deliver heightened tactile sensitivity. They feature a smooth grip for ease of double gloving and have a blue tint for easy differentiation from standard Protegrity gloves.

 

Cardinal Health invests in research and technological innovations to meet the needs of health-care providers and their patients. For more than 40 years, the company has been offering the most extensive, highest quality and technologically-advanced lines of medical gloves. In addition to the Protegrity brand of surgical gloves which have an advanced triple-dip bonding technology, the company also offers Esteem surgical gloves, which combine the fit and feel of natural rubber latex with the powerful strength of nitrile for superior barrier integrity. In addition, Cardinal Health has a more complete line of latex and synthetic examination gloves to meet the needs of health-care professionals in the lab, physician's office, hospital and other healthcare settings.

 

Headquartered in Dublin, Ohio, Cardinal Health, Inc. (NYSE: CAH) is a $75 billion, global company serving the health-care industry with a broad portfolio of products and services. Through its diverse offering, Cardinal Health delivers integrated health-care solutions that help customers reduce their costs, improve efficiency and deliver better care to patients. The company manufactures, packages and distributes pharmaceuticals and medical supplies, offers a range of clinical services and develops automation products that improve the management and delivery of supplies and medication for hospitals, physician offices and pharmacies. Ranked No. 16 on the Fortune 500, Cardinal Health employs more than 55,000 people on six continents. More information about the company may be found at www.cardinalhealth.com.